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Wanderlust

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Tour de Texas

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Sasha was in Austin all last week for class, so I drove to meet him on Thursday. We spent Friday eating breakfast at Kerbey Lane, working from the AT&T Conference Center (where we were staying), then getting lunch at the flagship Whole Foods, going paddle boarding on Town Lake (so much fun!!!), getting drinks at Abel’s on the Lake, then cleaning up and meeting some of my favorite people for dinner at G’Raj Mahal (amazing). After dinner, Sasha and I walked back to Town Lake to watch the sunset on a dock, then trekked across downtown Austin to go back to the hotel (via the Capitol and TCBY, naturally).

On Saturday, we were back at Kerbey Lane for breakfast (it’s that good), then headed to San Marcos to visit one of Sasha’s fraternity brothers. They live on this amazing 100 acre ranch with the most gorgeous Restoration Hardware inspired house. They have two gorgeous blonde girls of their own and have adopted three beautiful kids from Africa. I honestly did not want to leave.

Afterward, we went to Gruene for lunch at the famous Gristmill restaurant, next to Gruene Hall (Texas’ oldest dance hall). We walked around this quaint Texas town after, then got in the car and drove to San Antonio (hence, the Tour de Texas post name). I met two of Sasha’s high school friends and their precious three kids – a newborn who I didn’t want to put down. We went to eat at Scenic Loop Cafe and Bar, which was delicious – great outdoor dining spot with live music and gorgeous strung lights.

We woke up early on Sunday and headed back to Houston. We arrived home to the West Elm storage bench we ordered ages ago. Hoorah! Not many more pieces to go until The Manor is complete. The busy weekend ended with family dinner at Indika (one of my favorites, as expressed in my ‘Best of Houston: Restaurants and Coffee‘ post). It’s Houston Restaurant Weeks – my favorite time of the year.

Happy Monday!

Explore, Dream, Discover

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Some of my all-time favorite quotes were spoken by Mark Twain. I always feel so inspired by this wanderlust-filled saying – isn’t it so true? We will definitely be more disappointed by the things we choose not to do than those we decide to do. It makes me want to pack a bag and go and travel (probably not good timing though, since we get married in 18 days!). I hope you are having a wonderful Monday!

all images via fourthlake

The Summer of Dreams

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Summer 2013 is here, and it has me thinking back four years,to the ‘l’été de mes rêves.’ I was blessed enough to live in France for three months – the first few weeks were spent interning at the Cannes Film Festival, then I packed up and headed to Paris, where I interned at an Oil & Gas exploration company and spent every free second wandering around the city with one of my best friends, Andrew. I blogged about my daily adventures here (which now seems so bland and uncreative), but those stories (sigh) capture some of my favorite moments in life. I returned to Paris with my Paris in 2011 as part of my graduation trip, then again in 2012 with Sasha, at the tail end of our Europe vacation (pictures here). Oh gosh, here I go again… Kayak.com time. Next trip must be booked!

Other Parisian posts on Snapshots and My Thoughts:

Paris is Always a Good Idea

Toutes Les Choses Francaises

The City of Lights and Color

image via fourthlake

 

Southern Bali

As you may know from here, we’re going on our honeymoon to Bali in December. I’ve already bought a travel book that I’m going through page-by-page, learning about the history, food and traditions of Indonesia. I was inspired to book the trip after seeing these pictures of Ubud on Entouriste. Recently, another set of Bali pictures were posted – my favorites are below. I seriously cannot wait! How gorgeous is Vicki’s photography?

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Photos by Vicki Grafton